For The Moment
by YouHadMeAtHelloxo
Summary: See what is happening in the lives of Matt, Mary, Lucy, Simon, Ruthie, Sam and David and their families sevral years after the show has ended. Includes humor, drama, and basically everything in between. Please Read and Review! o)
1. Introduction A Rainy Afternoon

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own 7th Heaven or anything pertaining to it. Thanks.

_A/N:_ I'm back again! Yay! Thought you could get rid of me, huh? Haha, just kidding. Well, this is my latest story, so please read and review!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 1:Part One: Introduction.**

This takes place many years after the show as we see it now. Please, as usual, keep in mind that this is _my_ story, therefore little details may not be exact to the show (For example, Simon is with Cecilia). Thanks for understanding!

Matt and Sarah Camden live in Glen Oak on the same street as Lucy and Kevin. Sarah is a pediatrician in the children's ward of the hospital and Matt is an OB/GYN. They have three children: their daughter, Kate, is 13 and an 8th grader. Their son Jacob is 11 and a 6th grader, and their youngest child, Amanda is 8 and a 3rd grader. Sarah and Matt decided to move back to Glen Oak from New York after they found out that Sarah was expecting their second child. They wanted their kids to grow up knowing their cousins and aunts and uncles. Even though they liked the hospital that they worked at in New York better than the one in Glen Oak, they are glad that they're children are able to grow up near family.

Mary and Carlos Rivera live in Buffalo, New York. They are both fire fighters. Since neither Mary nor Carlos really want children at this stage in their life, they don't have any.

Lucy and Kevin Kinkirk live in Glen Oak in a home that is about 3 miles from where Annie and Eric live. Kevin works as a police officer and Lucy stays at home with the kids. They have 6 children: 4 girls and 2 boys. Their oldest daughter, Hailey is 14 and a freshman (9th grade) in high school. Next in line, Anna is 12 and in 7th grade. Twin boys Ty and Collin are 8 and in the 3rd grade. They specialize in terrorizing their 4 sisters. Elizabeth (also known as Libby) is 5 and in Kindergarten, and the youngest of the batch, Maddy, is 4 and in preschool. They had originally planned on 5 kids, but when Lucy found out she was pregnant with Maddy, they were forced to move their number to 6. Now, they definitely know that they don't want any more children, and are perfectly happy (not to mention busy) with the group they have now.

Simon and Cecilia Camden also live in Glen Oak. Cecilia works as the secretary at the elementary school where her 3 children go, and Simon is a lawyer. Their kids are Ben, who's 11 and in the 6th grade, Noah, who's 9 and in the 4th grade, and finally the girl Cecilia wanted (and who's named appropriately) Grace, who's 5 and in kindergarten.

Ruthie and Peter Petrowski live in Houston, Texas where they are both teachers at Cardinal Middle School. For the last three years, the couple has been trying to have a child. Though it hasn't happened yet, they will keep trying, as they have always dreamed of being parents.

Sam and Lina Camden reside in Glen Oak where Lina is a Kindergarten teacher at Kasey Elementary and Sam is an engineer. They have four children: Molly, their oldest, is 9 years old and a 4th grader. Next came Michael, who's 7 and in the 2nd grade. Abby is 6 and in the first grade, and their youngest son is Aiden who is 4 and in preschool. All four children go to the school where their mother teaches.

David and Natalie Camden live about a half hour outside of Glen Oak. Natalie works as a lawyer and David is the CEO of his company. They don't have any children and don't plan on having them for at least a few years since they were only married 7 months ago.

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**Chapter 1: Part Two: A Rainy Afternoon**

Eight year old Amanda Camden stared out her window sadly as she saw the rain pouring down outside. She hated rainy days, unlike her mother who adored them. When it rained, she had to stay inside, and that was absolutely no fun. On the weekends, she loved to play outside with her friends and cousins. She turned around when she heard a knock on her door and saw her mother leaning against the door frame with her curly brown hair tied back into a half ponytail. She smiled weakly at Sarah then turned back to the window.

"Hey honey." Sarah greeted. "Do you want to come and make cookies with Jake and I?" She asked hopefully. Amanda sighed deeply. The gloom outside seemed to penetrate her body as well. She nodded slowly and stood up. Saran leaned down and hugged her daughter. "Are you ok, Mandy?" She asked. When she didn't get an answer, she kissed her on the forehead. "Is the rain making you feel sad?" Amanda nodded her head. "It's ok. We can still have plenty of fun indoors while all the plants outside get a nice drink. Come on, we're making chocolate chip cookies-your favorite!" Amanda smiled a bit and followed her mother out into the kitchen where her 11-year-old brother was already waiting.

"It took you long enough" He said, sounding annoyed. Sarah shot him a look to stop it and he did so.

"What about Kate?" Amanda asked.

"You can go ask her, but I don't think she's going to want to help." Sarah told her. The 8-year-old walked back to the hall she had come from, but this time passed her room, then Jake's. The third door in the hall was shut with loud music coming from behind it. Amanda could hear her 13-year-old sister singing along and began to sway back and forth to the sounds-she liked this song. After it ended, she knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened and Kate looked down at her sister.

"Um…" Amanda looked back into the kitchen for a minute. "Mom and Jacob and me are making chocolate chip cookies. Do you want to help?" She asked. Kate shook her head.

"Amanda, I have homework. I don't have _time_ to make cookies." She said sounding exasperated.

"Then why are you dancing to your music if you have homework?" Amanda asked, sounding defensive.

"It's called multi-tasking, little one. Get used to it." Kate told her sister as she rolled her eyes and shut the door. Amanda frowned. How could she dance and do homework at the same time? With a shrug of her shoulders, she walked back to the kitchen where her mom and Jacob already had the mixer going. She got up on a stool and looked into the bowl. There was flower everywhere in the bowl and even some on the table around it, which made her giggle. It looked like it had snowed! Sarah smiled at her youngest child.

"What's so funny?" She asked with a smile. Amanda laughed again and pointed at the flour in and around the bowl. Sarah laughed too. "Oh, I see. You know, I used to think that was funny too when I was your age. In fact, once I poured the whole bag of flour in even though Grandma Rosina had only asked for a cup! Let's just say that she wasn't exactly happy. Amanda laughed. She loved to her stories from when her mom and dad were kids.

Right as they put the cookie dough into the oven to cook, Matt came in through the garage door. Even though it was Saturday, as an OB/GYN, he was basically always on call. This morning, he had been called saying that one of his patients had gone into labor. Sarah hadn't seen him since. He walked through the door and walked over to his wife, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her.

"Hi." She said. "How was your day?"

"Hi." He replied. "My day was pretty good. This was the 3rd child of this patient, so labor was only 6 hours or so." Sarah nodded. For first timers, sometimes labor was up to 2 days! Matt normally had to be there for the last few hours of it, but boy did it still take a long time.

"Girl or boy?" Sarah asked. She always liked to know, even though she didn't know the people except for through hearing about them.

"Boy number three." He told her. "Kaiden Thomas. Cute huh?" He asked. Sarah nodded.

"Kaiden. Hmm, I like it. I like Aiden better, but I might be a bit biased." Matt laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, having a nephew with that name with do that to ya." He responded. Sam and his wife Lina had named their youngest son Aiden. Matt kissed Sarah again before putting down his things in his office. He walked out and collapsed onto the sofa. "Wow I'm exhausted." He said, closing his eyes and leaned back. Sarah smiled.

"Do you want some spaghetti? And soon there'll be some fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookies!" Matt nodded and stood up.

"Spaghetti sounds great. I can get it though; you go sit down and rest. You've had a busy day." He told her, pushing her towards the sofa where she sat down.

"How do you know I've had a busy day?" She asked with a laugh. "Are you psychic now?" She put her fingers to her temples and started to hum, pretending to foresee the future. Matt laughed at her.

"I know you've had a busy day because you've been home alone with Kate Jacob and Amanda all day, that's how." He laughed and so did his wife. It was true. Being a stay at home mother, especially one of a teen, was not an easy job. She didn't know how Lucy did it with 6 kids! It made her tired to even think about it! She leaned back and shut her eyes, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

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A/N: Please review! I hope that you liked this chapter. If you have any ideas for this story, you can feel free to e-mail them to camdengirlfanfic (at) subject line "FTM story ideas". If you would like to be credited in the case that your idea is used, please leave your first name. Thanks. 


	2. Crisis Averted

_For disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks._

_A/N: _Thanks for the reviews! I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well, and don't forget to review!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 2: Crisis Averted**

Lucy Kinkirk let go of the curtain and walked over to the sofa where her youngest two kids were sitting watching cartoons. Elizabeth and Maddy, who were 5 and 4 respectively, giggled loudly as one of the characters in the show was flattened by a boulder. Lucy smiled with them. She liked to see her daughters enjoying themselves. She was just beginning to settle in when she was torn from her thoughts when her oldest two girls, Haylie and Anna came down the stairs yelling angrily.

"Mom!" 14-year-old Haylie screeched. She ran to her mother, closely followed by her younger sister. "Ty and Collin came into Anna and my's room and took…"

"Mom!" Anna joined in, "They took our bras and now they're _wearing_ them!" She yelled. Lucy's eyes widened as her 8 year old twins came running down the stairs wearing a white and a purple bra. They ran over to their sisters.

"Look at me!" Ty cried in a girly voice. "I'm Haylie!" He moved his hips around quickly, mimicking the way that his older sister walked.

"And I'm Anna!" Collin yelled in an equally girly voice. Lucy tried hard to keep herself from laughing as she looked at her sons sternly.

"Collin, Ty, this is _not_ acceptable. How would you like it if your sisters came into your room and took _your_ things?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. The twins frowned and shrugged their shoulders. "Yeah that's what I thought." She told them. "Now apologize to Haylie and Anna, go take those off and put them back where you found them, then go to your room until further notice. Got it?" They nodded and mumbled an apology to their sisters before starting up the stairs slowly. Anna's jaw dropped.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" She asked, amazed.

"I'm a mother, my dear." She answered. "I can do _anything_. Trust me." The girls laughed.

"Thanks mom." Haylie said and the girls started back up to their room. Lucy laughed quietly to herself. _Crisis averted_ she thought. Elizabeth and Maddy burst into another bout of giggles at the antics of the cartoon characters. Lucy laughed too. She leaned over and kissed them each on the head, then stood and walked into the kitchen where her husband was preparing dinner.

"Hey you." He greeted her when she walked through the door. She walked over to the island and sat down, resting her head in her hands. "What are you up to?"

"Hi." She said. "Not that much. Haylie and Anna are in their room, as are the twins, and Libby and Maddy are watching cartoons in the family room. It's a pretty quiet night in the Kinkirk home." She laughed. "Ty and Collin caused a bit of trouble, but I handled it. Yes me, aka super mom. Hold your applause." Kevin smiled.

"Ahh, super mom, I thought it was you." He joked. "Your disguise didn't fool me for a minute." Lucy put her head back and did an evil laugh. Kevin smiled and turned back the the mac and cheese he had on the stove. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Haylie, Anna, Ty, Collin, Elizabeth, Maddy, dinner!" He shouted. Elizabeth and Maddy were the first to enter and sit down at the table. They were closely followed by Ty and Haylie. When, a few minutes later, Anna and Collin entered, they were screaming at each other.

"I am _not _a brat, you jerk!" Yelled Collin.

"I'm not a jerk, you freak!" Anna retorted.

"I'm not a freak, you fatso!" Collin shot back.

"Hey!" Anna screamed. "I'm not a fatso dork brain!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Kevin yelled, getting between his 12 and 8 year old. "There will be _no_ name calling in this house, do you get it? Your mom and I won't stand for that!"

"Butt faced Anna started it!" Collin cried.

"Hey!" Anna yelled. "You started it, stupid!"

"Collin! Anna!" Kevin yelled. "My office. Now." He pointed his finger towards his office door and the two children stomped off to it, yelling at one another all the way. "I'll be right back." He told Lucy. She smiled weakly at him and nodded her head." Kevin's office had always been the place that the kids were sent when they were in trouble. Kevin was the one to give out punishments most of the time, be it grounding, a time out, or anything else. Ty burst into laughter.

"What an idiot! I told him to cut it out!" He cried.

"Ty! First off, like we just said, no name calling! And secondly we don't use the word idiot in this house!" He sighed deeply and Haylie rolled her eyes. Lucy chose to ignore them and handed each of her children their plates, leaving two open spots for Collin and Anna when they would return. A few minutes after they started eating, Kevin re-entered with the two kids who looked incredibly pouty.

"Mom!" Anna yelled. "Dad says I'm grounded tomorrow! That's so not fair! Come on, help me out here!"

"Yeah me too!" Collin said. Lucy shook your head.

"Hey, what your dad says go. I agree. Now sit down and eat." She shook her head tiredly as the kids took their seats. Kevin kissed his wife then got them each some food too. "Mac and cheese. I haven't had this in awhile." She said with a laugh.

"I know, Sorry. This was the most convenient thing to make tonight with everyone being home." He said. Lucy nodded with a laugh.

"I understand, trust me. Thanks for making dinner tonight, I really appreciate it." She told him. Kevin nodded his head.

"No problem, trust me. Don't worry about it." She smiled at him and he smiled back, then they began eating as well.

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_A/N_: Hey everyone! Please review! The button is right down there! Look! 


	3. Celebration

_For disclaimer, please see chapter one._

_A/N:_ Hi hi…that you guys so much for reviewing! Those of you who write know how encouraging it is to get those reviews in your mail box. Thanks also to a few of you who I have received ideas from. Also, I checked, and to the best of my knowledge in CA, you can get your driving permit at 15 (mentioned in this chapter). I understand that it may be different in your state (it is in mine lol).

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 3: Celebration**

In honor of Haylie's upcoming 15th birthday, and Matt's birthday as well, Annie had invited the entire family over that Sunday for brunch after church. Each family or couple that came brought some food, and soon, their entire meal was there. Annie bustled around happily as she put out all the food that had been brought. Everyone had arrived and her yard seemed to be getting louder by the second. Eric lead everyone in prayer, then everyone over the age of10 got their food and took a seat at the adult table, while the younger children sat at a smaller kids table. As the guests of honor, Haylie and Eric sat across from one another at the ends of the table. Everyone dug into the food hungrily. As Lina Camden, Sam's wife, was about to take a bite, she felt something tugging at the bottom of her dress. She looked down to see their 4-year-old son, Aiden, whose lower lip was sticking out incredibly.

"Molly says I can't have a cup cake yet." He complained about his 9-year-old sister. "But I want one now, and she can't tell me what to do, right mom?" Lina raised an eyebrow.

"Well, kiddo, she normally can't but this time she's right." She told him with a shrug. "Those are for later. Stick to the other food for now, ok?" He frowned and nodded his head.

"Then Abby can't have one either right?" He asked of his 6-year old sister. Lina nodded.

"That's right." She said. "None of you can have them right now." She saw what he was thinking and answered before he could ask. "Not Michael either." She said, speaking of her 7-year-old son. Aiden nodded and walked back over to the kids table where he was sitting in the middle of his brother and oldest sister. Lina laughed and looked at Sam. "He sure asks a lot of questions."

"I know." Sam said. "It's constant! It seems like our girls haven't been that way as much, but Michael sure was, and now Aiden is." He observed. Annie spoke up.

"And would you like to know where your sons got that from, Samuel?" She asked, sounding matter-of-fact. "You! My gosh, when you and David were little, I never got anything _but_ questions out of the two of you! And Ruthie too, man oh man, you guys could ask questions till you were blue in the face and still have more." Lina laughed and kissed her husband on the cheek.

"So it's _your_ fault, is it?" She looked a few people down to David. "And _you_!" She looked at Natalie, David's wife. "Be glad you two aren't having kids for awhile, Nat." She told her. "I bet that you'll be 'blessed' with little question machines like we are!" Natalie laughed and nodded.

"I think Davey asks a few too many questions still!" She said. David frowned.

"Nat, again with 'Davey'? What have I said about saying that in public?" he scolded jokingly.

"Aww, is Davey-Wavey embarrassed?" She cooed at him.

"No, Natalie-Watalie," he said, and she cringed, "He just doesn't want to get his mother started calling him that again!" Everyone laughed loudly. Simon turned to Haylie with a smile.

"So, you're getting your permit soon, huh?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm getting it on my birthday." Simon laughed.

"So everyone, get off the roads by Tuesday!" He said. Everyone laughed.

"Hey! Who says I won't be a wonderful driver from the first time I sit down in the driver's seat?" She asked with a smile.

"History, that's who." He answered, and again everyone laughed. 5-year-old Grace Camden, Simon and Cecilia's youngest, stood up with her hands on her hips.

"What's so funny over there?" She asked quizzically. Simon smiled at her.

"We're talking about your cousin Haylie driving and how absolutely terrifying it's going to be." He answered, and Grace giggled. "Gracie my dear, you're not getting your permit till you're 40, and don't even get me _started_ on dating." She crunched up her nose and sat down. Simon and Cecilia smiled at her before going back to their food. After they finished eating their brunch and birthday cake, the kids played while the adults helped clean up, then scattered over the yard to chat. Lina and Lucy took a seat at the edge of the grass. Each being parents of four year olds, they wanted their youngest children to be in full visibility. Soon, Cecilia joined them too, worried about her five year old, Grace, being out there with all the bigger kids. As the only girl with 2 older brothers, she was quite a tom boy and loved to run around with the boys rather than play with the girls. Cecilia bit her lip nervously as she ran with Lucy's twins, Ty and Collin, and her older brothers Ben and Noah playing soccer with a pine cone. Lucy laughed and squeezed her sister-in-law's arm.

"She'll be fine." She said with a laugh. "Trust me. Elizabeth likes to run around with the twins sometimes, and she's always fine. I have 6 kids. I've dealt with every single kind of injury that there is, and they're all still alive!" The women laughed. Lina leaned over and put her hand on Lucy's stomach.

"So Luce…Madison's 4 now…when's number seven coming?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye. Lucy brushed Lina's hand off and shook her head.

"No way is number seven coming! I don't know how my mom did it! I mean, come on! I'm exhausted with 6. I love them, and they're so much fun, but also so much work. And Kev and I were only going to have 5 remember? Then the twins came with took us from 2 to 4, and then we had Libby and were done…then Maddy came. Honestly, we're so done." She sighed. "How about you and Sam? I mean your kids are 9, 7, 6, 4…isn't it about time for a new little one? You're already a few years behind!" Lina smiled.

"I know. We're really enjoying how it is now though. Girl, boy, girl, boy is perfect. If we had another it would be uneven. Plus, like you said Aiden's four already. That would be a big gap as opposed to 2 years at the most that are in between Molly, Michael, Abby and Aiden. If it happens, it happens, but we're not specifically trying, you know?" They nodded. "How about Ruthie and Peter though. Man those two have been trying for three years!"

"I know, I really hope they get to have a baby soon. If only they had as easy of a time as I did when I got pregnant with Ben!" Cecilia said with a laugh. "We weren't even planning a child and suddenly I was out to here!" She held her hand out mocking a pregnant stomach. The ladies smiled. Suddenly, Maddy came running over, her dark blonde wavy hair bouncing.

"Hey baby, what's up?" Lucy asked as her youngest daughter hopped into her lap and through her arms around her mother with a giggle.

"Nothing I just wanted to come see you." She answered. Lucy laughed.

"Well thanks for the honor!" She told her 4-year-old proudly. Soon, Aiden came running to Lina as well, but he did _not_ look happy.

"Mom!" He shouted, beginning to cry. "Abby was bossing me around and I said that she's not mom and so she punched me right here!" He turned to show his mother his back where there was a round red spot. Lina gasped.

"It's ok sweetie." She told him, calming him down until he stopped crying. "Tell her that mommy wants her over here _now_." She said. Aiden nodded and ran to get his sister. A moment later, Abby walked over with her hands on her hips.

"_What_?" The six-year-old asked with attitude.

"I think you know what." Lina told her, raising an eyebrow.

"Mom, I'm older than Aiden, and he has to do what I say! And then he was rude to me, I had to punch that little brat! He deserved it!" Lina shook her head.

"Abby, Aiden was right, you're _not_ mom. What you said _doesn't_ go. I'm mom, and I'm the one in charge. Get it?" She asked. "And you know that hitting is against the rules!"

"But he deserved it mom he's just a stupid little four year old that needs to learn some manners! And I'm older so I have to teach him them!" She screamed, receiving some glances from around the yard.

"Abigail Lynn Camden," Lina scolded, but was cut off.

"_What_?" She shouted. Lina stood and grabbed her daughter's wrist.

"I'll be right back, would you guys keep an eye on Molly Michael and Aiden?" she asked her sisters in law. They nodded and Lina continued into the house with her daughter. After they were inside, Lucy looked at Cecilia surprised.

"Whoa! Man, for a six year old that girl has got a major attitude problem!" She said with wide eyes. Cecilia nodded.

"Tell me about it! I haven't gotten that from Gracie at all yet, but Ben has sure had a few bouts, and Simon and I definitely don't tolerate it. Just then, they heard shill screaming from inside the home, obviously being Abby's. Lina walked back to the door looking frazzled. "Sam," She called her husband. "Get the kids we're going home." She said.

"Why, is something wrong?" He asked.

"Abby's having a full blown temper tantrum in here because I put her on time out." She said. Sam shook his head and walked inside. The screaming abruptly stopped and Lina came back out.

"Sam can definitely get their attention." She said. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Aiden, Molly, Mike, let's go!" She yelled. The kids came over to their mom. She looked at Cecilia and Lucy. "I'm sorry you guys, but we need to go home. I'm not going to deal with Abby acting like this here. We'll see you soon, ok?" They nodded and told her goodbye, and with that, the Camden family left. Soon after they were gone, the party started to wind down. Since Sarah was the doctor on call today, she, Matt and the kids were the next to leave, then Natalie and David, and Cecilia, Simon and the kids. Soon it was only Annie, Eric, and the Kinkirks left. After helping her mother finish cleaning up, Lucy looked around.

"Well, mom, I think we'll take off." She said. "Thanks so much for having us all here this morning. I know that Haylie really appreciated it." Annie smiled and waved her hand.

"No problem! I love seeing everyone. My gosh, the kids grow up so fast. If I don't have them over every once in awhile, they'll be 18 all of the sudden and we won't know where the time went!" Lucy laughed and nodded, then hugged her mother goodbye. After calling each of the kids to also say goodbye to their grandmother and grandfather, the family left and enjoyed a much quieter ride home than Cecilia and Simon no doubtably had.

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_A/N_: Review Please! Look for chapter 4 soon! 


	4. Joy

_For Disclaimer please see chapter one. Thanks._

_A/N:_ Hey everyone, thanks as usual for reviewing! I hope that you enjoy reading this next chapter. Now that our main plot holders and their families have been more introduced, the story will actually be able to pick up a little. Yay!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 4: Joy**

A crash sounded through the Camden household and Cecilia cringed. She looked down the hall where it had come from. Then, Grace stepped out of her room with her hand over her mouth.

"Oops." She said nervously. Cecilia stood and walked into her 5-year-old's room where her mirror was in pieces on the floor. Ben and Noah came running and when they saw the mirror on the floor their jaws dropped. 9-year-old Noah jumped up and down and pointed at his younger sister with a mean laugh.

"Haha! Grace's gonna have 7 years of bad luck! Grace's gonna have 7 years of bad luck!" He changed, and his 11-year-old brother soon joined in. Grace started to cry. Cecilia looked angrily at her sons.

"Hey! Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum! Cut it out!" She shouted. Grace laughed. "It was an accident, and your sister definitely won't have 7 years of bad luck because that old saying isn't true, got it?" She asked. They nodded. "Now mind your own business and go play!" With that, the boys ran out of the room. She smiled to herself and turned back to her daughter. "Now, what happened?" She asked. Grace looked at the floor.

"Well, um, I was playing super-baby…" She started.

"By throwing them?" Cecilia asked.

"Ah..yeah. And one of the babies hit it and it fell and it broke." She said quietly, not daring to look up. Cecilia put her hands on her hips.

"And what have I said about playing super-baby?" She asked.

"It's a no-no." Grace answered.

"And what did I say would happen if I caught you playing it again?" She asked. Her daughter began to cry again.

"That you would take the baby dolls away." She said quietly and sniffed.

"That's right. So go get them, because you disobeyed me and now the babies have to take a little vacation." Grace threw her arms around her mother's legs and sobbed.

"No, mommy, I'll be good I promise and I won't ever play super-baby again really!" She cried. Cecilia rolled her eyes.

"That's not working this time, kiddo. I warned you. Go get them." Grace looked at the floor sadly and started into her room.

"Yes ma'am." She said. A few minutes later, she carried out her four plastic baby dolls and handed them over to her mother. "You have to take good care of them, OK?" She asked. Cecilia nodded.

"I'll take great care of them. You don't have to worry a bit."

"When do I get them back?" She whined.

"You may have them back in 3 days _if_ you're good." Cecilia answered. The 5-year-old nodded solemnly.

"Bye guys." She said to the dolls as her mother walked away with them. She sighed and walked to Ben's room. "Do you and Noah wanna play Alien Attack with me in the back yard?" she asked, her tom-boyish side coming out.

"Sure." Ben agreed. "Noah, come on!" He called, and the kids started out for the back yard. Cecilia walked out of her closet where she had placed the dolls and went back to the kitchen. She looked out the window and saw her kids playing outside. She smiled. _She sure bounces back fast! _She thought to herself. She started doing the dinner dishes when the phone rang. She turned off the water and answered it.

"Hello?" She greeted. She was happy to hear that it was Lucy.

"Hi! Have you heard?" Asked her sister-in-law's excited voice.

"Heard what?" She asked curiously.

"Ruthie's pregnant!" Cecilia gasped. Before she could ask any questions, Lucy continued to fill her in. "They've known for a month and a half. Can you believe it? When I found out each time, I was dying to tell you all! I don't know how they did it! She says that she and Peter had planned to not tell anyone until she started showing. She's 5 and a half months along. 6 months on October 23rd!" She cried excitedly. "That's in a week! The baby's due on January 23rd. Oh, this is so exciting!" Cecilia laughed.

"Whoa, Luce, breathe!" She said. "This is totally exciting! We were talking about that the other day at your mom's! I'm glad that they're finally having a baby! How is she feeling? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Well," Lucy began, "She had some morning sickness during her first trimester, but that's totally gone, she says. Now she feels like she's starting to be short of breath from the baby pushing on her lungs, which I remember is no fun. The baby has been kicking and she and Peter both really love that. Also, she complained for like 10 minutes about how 'fat' she is." She said with a laugh. "She should have a lot of fun in the third trimester if she thinks she's fat now." Cecilia laughed.

"Definitely."

"Oh, and they aren't telling anyone the sex of the baby until they've decided on a name, so it will be another few weeks at least. They promise to say before the baby's born though."

"That's good. I'm so excited for them!" Cecilia said. "Gosh, it makes me miss being pregnant."

"Wow, not me! I'm so done with all that. I'm perfectly happy, and only slightly overwhelmed with my 6." She said with a laugh. "But hey, there's still time if you want another."

"No way. There would be a huge gap in the ages, plus Simon keeps saying how much he enjoys only having three, how it's so different than when he was growing up, blah blah blah. Plus, a baby is so much work. As fun as it is to be pregnant, it's also really uncomfortable those last few months…I'd rather just be happy for Ruthie while she goes through it!" They laughed again. "Well Luce, I better go clean up a little mess that Gracie made, but I'll talk to you later. And thanks so much for calling to tell me! I'm going to have to call Ruthie and Peter later to congratulate them!"

"Yeah! Well, it was good talking to you, take care."

"Ok, you too. Bye." Cecilia said and hung up the phone. She smiled at the prospect of a new niece or nephew then, with a sigh, started down the hall to clean up the bits of her daughter's mirror.

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_A/N:_ Thanks for reading! Please review! 


	5. A Romantic Evening

_For Disclaimer please see chapter one. I also don't own Barney._

_A/N:_ Hey! Thanks so much for reviewing! I love to hear what you are thinking about the story. I hope you enjoy this 5th chapter, and as always, please review!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 5: A Romantic Evening**

Lina, better known as Mrs. Camden at school, sat at the teacher desk in her kindergarten classroom and stared at the pile of parent-teacher conference slips that she had gotten back. It seemed that almost every parent needed to reschedule, and she had no idea how she'd make it work. She looked up at the clock. School had let out 3 minutes ago, and her children would be there any minute. It was convenient to work at the same school that her children attended: she could talk with their teachers regularly, see them during recess, she got summer off, and she didn't have to go pick them up! She looked back down at the stack of papers and picked up the first one. 'I'm unavailable on November second. Please reschedule later in the week' read a note on the first slip. Lina sighed. As she began to think about how to make it work, she heard footsteps as Michael, her 7-year-old, entered with Abby and Aiden. They sideled over to their mother where she hugged them all.

"How was school today?" she asked.

"Fine." Answered Michael and Abby in unison.

"Awesome!" Aiden shrieked. "We got to color pictures _and_ play with the play doe! It was the best, mom!" Lina laughed and tussled her youngest child's hair.

"Well I'm glad you had fun." She turned to Michael. "Where's Molly?" she asked of her 9-year-old daughter. "She normally comes in with you three." Michael nodded.

"I went in to get her, but she was in trouble and Mrs. Clark is holding her 5 minutes after the bell in time out. She said that she knew we would be here awhile and she didn't think you'd mind." He looked at the clock. "She should be here soon though cause it's 3:05." Lina nodded.

"Uh oh, I wonder what she did this time?" She wondered aloud. Molly always seemed to be at odds with her 4th grade teacher and was frequently put on time out in class. A few minutes later, Molly walked in. "Hey Molly-doll." Her mother greeted her warmly. "What happened?" Molly sighed and handed her mother a note. She scanned it then looked back up at her 9-year-old.

"Ok, so let me get this straight. You didn't do your homework, Mrs. Clark told you to take a missing assignment slip to get signed, you said no and talked back to her, and she put you in time out? Is that correct?"

"Yeah." Molly said. "That stupid woman. I hate her."

"Molls, don't say that. She's your teacher and you need to respect her. I don't ever want to hear that you 'hate' anyone again. Got it?" Lina asked and her daughter nodded. "Well, I guess the lesson there, is that you do your homework and you don't talk back to your teacher." Molly nodded again. "You know the rule about missing assignment slips, dolly, you're grounded tonight, ok?"

"Yes." Molly said. "I know." Lina kissed her daughter on the head, then turned to face all of her children.

"Well guys, I need to be here for at least 15 more minutes so why don't you four take a seat and start your homework, ok?" The kids nodded and sat down. Molly, Michael and Abby took out their binders to start their work while Aiden colored. Soon, Lina knew that she had finished as much as she could that day, and told the kids to pack up to go home. As they drove the short distance home, Michael continued to try and do his homework, despite his sister and mother's assurance that it wouldn't work. When they got in, Aiden hurried to the tv to watch his favorite show, Barney. Abby moaned and covered her ears when the theme song started.

"Mom!" She cried. "Make Aiden turn of Barney! He's so annoying!" Lina laughed.

"Abby, when you were younger, your favorite show in the whole world was Barney too. And Molly and Michael didn't make you turn it off, did they?" She asked. Abby sighed and shook her head. "then let your younger brother enjoy it too. Ok?" She asked.

"Ok." Abby answered, sounding disappointed. As she did so, her older brother entered the room.

"Mom," Michael started, "Can I invite Tommy over?" Tommy had been Michael's best friend since they were 3 years old. He lived just down the street, and the boys got together to play often.

"Are you done with your homework?" She asked.

"Yep." He said proudly. "I only had a little today."

"Well then I guess you can. But you two will have to keep it down so that Molly and Abby can do theirs, all right?" Michael nodded quickly then ran to the phone to call his friend. Lina looked out the window and, to her surprise, saw her husband's car pulling up outside. She smiled and waited a moment before he came through the garage door. "You're sure home early!" She greeted him. He kissed her then winked.

"I was thinking that maybe you and I could go out for an early dinner tonight. I already called Sarah and Matt and they said that they wouldn't mind watching the kids. Lina smiled at her husband. She loved when he surprised her like this. She looked over at her son who had stopped calling his friend. He was looking at his mother to see if it was still ok.

"Sorry kiddo. Turns out daddy and I are going out, so no friends today." She told him to his dismay. He hung his head dramatically then sidled over to the couch where his brother was happily watching his favorite purple dinosaur dance around the screen. Lina hurried to put on her favorite dress, then she and Sam got the kids in the car and drove them to Sarah and Matt's house. Lina smiled at her sister-in-law as the kids ran in the door.

"Are you sure, Sarah? I mean, I can just call a sitter. I don't want you to go crazy with 7 kids here!" She said, worried about her sanity. "Really I wouldn't be mad or anything."

"Lina!" Sarah said. "I'll be fine. Matt's here anyway. We can do this. Stop worrying and go have fun! Get out of here!" She said. Lina laughed and thanked her, then she and Sam were on their way. After they were seated, she smiled and looked around her favorite restaurant. This was where Sam had proposed 11 years ago. They liked to come here often.

The band played quietly in the back ground while they ordered their food and ate. After they were finished, Sam stood and reached for Lina's hand: this was her favorite part. They walked out onto the dance floor amid many other couples and began to dance slowly to the jazz music playing. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. This was the place that she felt safe, happy, and loved: with her husband. She looked up at him and he kissed her. She smiled a bit, then put her head back down and let him lead.

After the song ended, she pulled back and clapped along with everyone else. When the next song, a faster one, started, they danced to it as well. Lina laughed as Sam spun her and she felt the edges of her black dress touch her legs. Sam smiled. He loved to see his wife having fun, and she always seemed to be having fun on the dance floor.

He knew that she had danced from the time she was very young all through her teens, and it was apparent that it flowed through her veins. Though he had never been a dancer himself, he truly enjoyed it when they were here dancing, or even when it was just the two of them at home. He remembered once dancing with her on her birthday while she was pregnant with their first child, Molly, just a few weeks before she was born. They had only been able to get as close as her stomach would permit, which just made things funnier. At one point, the baby had kicked so hard the he had felt it with his own stomach. It was one of their most awkward dances, yet still one of his favorites. As the song ended, he dipped his wife, and as he lifted her back up, he kissed her again. Yes, this was the place they _both_ loved.

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_A/N:_ I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review! o) 


	6. A Great Idea

_For Disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks!_

_A/N:_ Hi! Thanks for reviewing. Here's chapter 6- enjoy!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 6: A Great Idea**

Sarah Camden smiled over at her three children who were sitting quietly at the table doing their homework. She had picked them up from school 20 minutes ago and they had been working since they got home. She made them a snack, then when she was about to get herself one, the phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and was excited to see that it was Ruthie. She picked up the phone and happily greeted her sister in law.

"Hey Ruthie!" She said. "How are you? How do you feel? Is everything going OK? Are you excited for the baby to come?" She asked with out taking a breath. Ruthie laughed loudly before responding to the many questions.

"Hello to you too!" She said cheerily. "I'm pretty good. I'm six months and 3 along right now, so from what I hear, I'm at the fun point before this all gets uncomfortable." She laughed and so did Sarah, what Ruthie said was true! "I'm really nervous about reaching 7 months because that's the start of the third trimester, and that's when things start not being so fun…so I'm hanging onto this! I'll be 7 months in 2 days. I can't even believe it. The baby's kicking a ton, and it's really weird! Yes, we're so excited for the baby to be here. _I'm_ technically not excited for the baby to _come_ because, well, I really don't want to deal with labor, but looks like I'm going to have to." They laughed again.

"Yeah, that normally comes with pregnancy." Sarah told her. "But you'll do just fine, sweetie, don't worry. I won't lie and tell you that it's easy, I mean it really does hurt, but once you see that little baby, you forget all about it. It's so worth it."

"Yeah, so I hear." She said with a chuckle. "Well, I'm calling because Peter and I are making the announcement today about the sex and name of the baby. We've been trying to decide for about a month now on a name, and we finally chose one yesterday. Drum roll please!" Sarah did one, excited to find out the answer. "It's a boy!" Ruthie said finally. "Peter gets the son that he wanted! And his name is going to be Jackson Peter…Jack for short."

"Oh, Ruthie! That's adorable! And a boy? You're going to have a fun time with him. You'll get to get him little baseball caps and blue overalls; I had a great time dressing Jake when he was a baby. My other two are girls, so he was my opportunity to go all out!"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I wish that we could all be together for this special time. I mean, when you, Lucy, Cecilia, and Lina were pregnant, you all got to be together and have the baby showers and share in everything that was going on. I feel so alone out here! And were're getting to the point where I can't really fly any more, and it's not like all of you can come out here, that would be crazy."

"Oh, honey, it's going to be OK." Sarah told her as she heard Ruthie begin to cry. "We want to be with you too, but you live there, and we live here. I mean, we all hate that we're not going to get to see our new nephew being born, and see him when he's only a day old. But just remember, after you have him, you'll be able to come out, and we'd all love to have you three here. And you can call when ever you want if you have any questions or anything at all. I mean, I have 3 kids and I'm a pediatrician married to an OB/GYN: We've got the kids area covered! And of course, Lucy and Kevin have 6 kids! I'm sure Lucy knows a thing or two about pregnancy!" They laughed. "Don't worry."

"Thanks Sarah." Ruthie said genuinely. "I'm sure I'll be calling a lot in the next few months." She paused. "Well, I better go. I have a lot of other calls to make! I love you and miss you! Tell Matt and the kids hi for me, all right?"

"I will. We love you. Call again soon. Bye!" They hung up and Sarah smiled. She turned back to her kids. "Well guys, Aunt Ruthie is having a little boy. In January you'll have a new cousin named Jack!" She announced. The kids smiled, happy at the prospect of a new baby in the family. "All right, that's enough, back to your work!" She said with a laugh. The kids continued and she went about getting the snack that she had been going for when the phone rang.

A few hours later, the kids had finished their homework and were spread about: Kate was at a movie with some friends, Jacob had gone to play with his cousin Ben at his Aunt Cecilia and Uncle Simon's home, and Amanda was at Sam and Lina's playing with Molly. Sarah cleaned up the house then sat down to read a magazine, enjoying the rare silence. After a few minutes, she heard the garage door go up, signaling that her husband had returned. Soon she heard him come in and she stood up, walking over and kissing him.

"Hey Beautiful." He greeted her. "How was your day? Where are the kids?"

"Well, my day was great. Kate's at a movie and Jake and Mandy are at cousin's houses." She explained. "Ruthie called this afternoon." She said. Matt smiled, waiting for more information. "She's 7th months along in two days, and she's really enjoying it. And they announced today that it's a…" She paused for suspense. "Boy! Jackson Peter. Jack!" Matt smiled widely.

"That's awesome. I'm so happy for them. I know they've been trying for a long time to get pregnant. I'm glad that everything's going as planned and everything." He said. Sarah smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I know, isn't it great?" She replied. "She's sad though that no one's over there with her. You know, we all live here, and she doesn't have family there to help her through all this." Matt nodded slowly. Finally, he looked at his wife.

"Why don't you to visit her?" He asked curiously. "Take off work on a Friday, fly over there, spend the rest of Friday and Saturday with her, and fly back Sunday night. Take off work on Friday, and then you're not on call again for a few more weekends, so it would work out." Sarah thought for a moment.

"Ya know what?" She asked slowly. "I think I will. That's a great idea honey!" She kissed his cheek. "Are you sure you'd be ok alone with the kids all weekend?"

"Sarah, they're not babies any more. I mean, Amanda's 8! Ruthie needs you more than I do. Really. If you're lucky you might be able to get tickets and go this weekend. It's only Tuesday…you'd have a few days still before the flight, and it's not to far. Go for it."

"Thanks." She said. "I'm gonna go call the airline!" She grabbed the phone book and hurried to the phone with a smile on her face. Matt smiled too, happy to see that his wife was so excited. He walked over to the freezer and got out a two person shrimp and pasta meal, popping it into the microwave while his wife talked on the phone in the other room. After it beeped, he poured sauce over the pasta and took a bite. For a microwave dinner, these were always _great_, and tonight's mean was no exception. He scooped the food out onto two plates and set the table. When Sarah came out of their room, she had a smile on her face. "Well…that's it. I'm going!" She said happily. She jumped up and hugged her husband. He laughed and squeezed her tightly.

"I'm glad! You're going to have a great time. Ruthie needs you right now, and she's really going to appreciate you being there. I'll be fine here, so don't worry about a thing." He reassured her. "Sit down and eat." He lead her to the table and she smiled.

"You made dinner! Thank you!" She sat down and dug in, hungrier than she thought. Matt sat across from her and began to eat as well. By the time they finished, both of them were full. Sarah leaned back and looked out the window. "Kate's in the driveway." She said. "I'm going to go call Ruthie and tell her the good news!" She said as Kate walked in. She kissed her daughter on the head on her way past as she went into she and Matt's room. She grabbed the phone and dialed her sister-in-law's number by heart. When Ruthie answered, she couldn't help but smile.

"Hey! It's Sarah!" She greeted. "Guess what!"…

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_A/N:_ Sorry that this chapter was kind of short, guys! Please review! Chapter 7 will be up soon. 


	7. A Joyful Reunion

_For Disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks._

_A/N:_ Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! Don't forget to review!

anmechick- because it's "personal information" it cuts off the end of e-mail addresses in reviews, stupid I know. To e-mail you, you need to put it in under "e-mail address" without signing in to review. That way it will show up. Also, the site will automatically e-mail you when i update if you choose "add to author alrert" when you review. Thanks for the review!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 7: A Joyful Reunion**

As soon as Sarah stepped off the plane, she had a rush of adrenalin. She was actually here, in Houston, Texas. She took a deep breath and started for the security check point. As soon as she made it though, she smiled widely at the site of Ruthie, sitting down in one of the small black chairs facing her. She was looking out the window, holding a round stomach. Peter sat next to her, holding her hand. He looked up and smiled when he saw Sarah. He got Ruthie's attention to show her that her sister-in-law had arrived. As soon as she saw here, Ruthie's eyes lit up. She rose and hurried to her, throwing her arms around her when she arrived. Sarah laughed and hugged her back.

"You're here!" Ruthie cried. "Sarah, thank you so much for coming. I've been looking forward to this since you called!" Sarah smiled as Peter approached the women. She hugged him too, then they all looked at one another. "Let's go get your bags and then we can head back to the apartment." Ruthie said. They quickly found Sarah's bright red suitcase, then went to the car. When they arrived at the Petrowski's small apartment, Ruthie looked at Sarah apologetically.

"I know that you and Matt have a big house. I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this small little place." She said. "We set up a bed for you in the to-be-nursery. I feel terrible!" Sarah laughed and waved her hand.

"Don't worry about it! I'm just so glad to be here. I'd be happy sleeping on the floor, really. Don't give it another thought. I'm here to help you, not be pampered." She replied with a smile. Ruthie smiled too and they started inside. Sarah put her things down in the half-blue nursery then came out to the main room where Peter sat watching the news. Ruthie had her hand around her stomach. She smiled when she saw Sarah approaching.

"Feel this." She said, taking Sarah's hand and putting it on her stomach. "He's kicking." Sarah laughed as the memories from her own pregnancies came flooding back to her.

"Oh Ruthie, I'm so happy for you guys." Sarah told her. "You're finally having a baby." She sighed and looked around. "Listen, this weekend is all about you. You don't have to worry about keeping me occupied or going out to dinner or anything like that at all. I'm here to help you with whatever you need…cooking, cleaning, getting groceries, what ever. I know what it's like when you have a stomach out to there. It makes things difficult! I wish I could be here until the birth just to help you out!"

"Thank you. You being here now is more than enough, really." Ruthie said genuinely. "How is everyone doing? Mom and Dad? Matt and the kids? Lucy, Simon, Sam, David?" They walked over to the table so that Ruthie could sit as they talked.

"Everyone's doing well. Eric and Annie are amazing as usual. Hailey turned 15 a few weeks ago and they threw a party for she and Eric at their home after church. It was so much fun! Matt's doing really well. He loves his job. It's hard to have him _always_ on call, but that stuff is his life, and I'm just happy that he enjoys what he does. Plus he was totally supportive of me coming here. It was his idea! The kids are great as well. Kate's entering her teen years relatively well. There's a few attitude problems, but what teen doesn't have those, you know? And Jake's really losing that shyness that he's had for so long. He's branched out a ton this year and has made so many new friends since the school year started. Amanda's still totally shy, but my gosh is that girl sweet. I wish you could see her, Ruthie. And everyone else? Wow let's see here. The Kinkirks are doing well. I don't know how Lucy and Kevin do it; having 6 kids, I mean. But they always have it together. Lucy was so sad that she couldn't come with me to see you. But with Kevin as a police officer, he's not home that much, especially on the weekends, and she still has little ones around the house. She sends her love though, and says to call her if you need anything. Simon and Cecilia are doing well. The boys are crazy like usual, and Grace is spoiled like none other, but she's still a sweetie pie. Sam and Lina are also doing pretty well. They're having a little trouble with Abby though. The kid's only 6 and she is having some major attitude difficulties. And David is good too. Still no thoughts of kids." She said with a laugh. "That won't happen for awhile."

"I'm glad that everyone's OK. Man, I hate being out here away from all of you. But we both love teaching here. The kids are great, and we've formed so many friendships with the people who live around here. And Peter doesn't want to move at all. I mentioned it right after we found out I was pregnant, and he was totally opposed to it." She looked down at the floor. "I know he's right. This is where we're meant to be. It's just hard to have these specific nine months away."

"I understand completely." Sarah told her. "Matt and I still lived in New York when I was pregnant with Kate. I thought I was going to go crazy not having the family around! As soon as I found out that I was going to have another baby, I told Matt that we had to move back to Glen Oak." She squeezed Ruthie's hand. "It's hard to be pregnant with out your family around, and I won't lie, it's hard to have a baby and watch them grow up with out having family to share it with. But I know that you love it here. It's hard, but you'll be able to do it, I know you will." She hugged her as tightly as Ruthie's protruding stomach would allow.

"Yeah…" Ruthie trailed off. "Thanks for being here. Really." She said. Sarah nodded knowingly and stood up.

"I'm going to make you some lunch she said." Ruthie protested for a minute, but finally Sarah won and Ruthie sat back down with a sigh. "What can I get you? How does a turkey sandwich sound?" She asked.

"That sounds great." Ruthie replied and Sarah pulled out the ingredients. After making one for herself as well, she sat down next to Ruthie and they began to eat. After a minute, Ruthie moaned and put her hand on her stomach. "Can you just stop kicking for one second?" She complained. "It's cute every once in awhile, but not now. Just let me eat!" Sarah smiled sadly at her, remembering feeling the same way. They continued eating and finally the Jackson gave the kicking a rest. After Sarah cleaned up their mess, she turned to Ruthie.

"So, what do you feel like doing? Do you need a nap? I know I was always tired during my pregnancies." Ruthie shook her head.

"No, I'm fine right now actually. I have a doctor's appointment in about a half hour though. When it's time to go, would you mind driving me up there?" She asked. "Peter has to go down to school to grade some tests soon."

"Yeah sure I'll drive you down there, no problem!" She said. Ruthie walked into the room that she and her husband shared and changed into a different outfit. As she came back out, Peter walked over.

"I'm going to leave now. I have my pager and my cell if you need anything, ok. Don't hesitate at all." He told her, and she agreed. "I love you." He told her. They kissed and Peter wrapped his arms around his round wife. "Good luck at the doctor's office. Honestly, if anything at all comes up call me and I'll be there. I know you'll be in good hands with Sarah though." He kissed her forehead, said goodbye, and started out the door. Sarah looked over at Ruthie.

"It's nice he's so supportive." She said. "Matt was like insanely into it when I was pregnant, judging that he's an OB/GYN. He was there at _every single_ step. Sometimes it even got annoying!" She said with a laugh. "He knew more about what was happening and how I was feeling than I did!" Ruthie laughed too. "Well, are you ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah, let me grab my purse." Ruthie replied. She did so then tossed Sarah the keys with a smile. They started out of the apartment and got in the elevator to go to the parking lot. When they reached Ruthie's car, they climbed in and started the short drive to the doctor's office. After she parked, Sarah helped Ruthie out of her seat, and they walked in. Only a few minutes after Ruthie had signed in, her name was called.

"Good luck!" Sarah told her happily. "I'll be here when you come out." After Ruthie went in, Sarah grabbed a magazine from the table next to her and began to read. After about a half hour, Ruthie emerged again from the door she had gone through. "All done?" Sarah asked.

"Yep." Ruthie replied, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. How did it go? Everything ok?" She asked as they started out the door and across the parking lot.

"Everything's fine. The baby's good, and my check up went well." Ruthie replied. Sarah frowned across at her as they got into the car.

"What's wrong? Are you OK? You don't look so good." Sarah said, sounding worried. Ruthie put her hand on her stomach and shut her eyes for a moment, then looked back at Sarah.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…I don't feel so good." She said.

"What do you mean?" Sarah said, getting more nervous every second.

"I feel sick." She told her. Sarah leaned across the car and put her hand over Ruthie's forehead, but felt no fever. "Don't worry, I'm fine, go ahead. I think it was just all the talk about me being in the third trimester now. I'm just a little scared I guess."

"It's going to be OK. Listen, we're still here, do you need to go back in?" She asked. Ruthie shook her head and Sarah started the car, driving back to the Petrowski apartment. When they got there, Sarah helped Ruthie out of the car and into the elevator. As soon as they arrived at the apartment, Ruthie laid down on the sofa and moaned. Sarah walked over and knelt next to her.

"Are you sure you're OK?" She asked. "I can call Peter if you want."

"No I'm fine. Don't call Peter. I'm just freaking out. I mean, did you know that only 5 of babies are actually born on their due dates? 5 ! What if I go into labor really early? What if something happens?" Sarah smiled sadly at her sister-in-law.

"It's going to be OK. Trust me. Even if something were to happen, you'd make it through. I mean, even if the worst-case scenario came true, you'd be ok, and you'd have Peter and all of us here for you." She put her hand on Ruthie's stomach and smiled when she felt kicking. "Nothing's going to happen, kiddo." She said. "See, the baby's kicking. The doctor said you and Jackson are doing fine. Rest easy." She said. "Why don't you take a nap. It'll help ease your mind." Sarah helped her up and tucked her into her bed. Ruthie thanked her and Sarah left. Yes, she remembered having the same fears that Ruthie was having, and she knew in her heart that no matter what, everything would be ok.

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_A/N:_ Review Please! 


	8. On The Go

_For disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks!_

_A/N:_ Thanks so much for the reviews! You guys have been sending tons! I hope that you all enjoy this next chapter, and of course…don't forget to review!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 8: On The Go**

Lucy smiled as she hung up the phone. Sarah had called to tell her all about her trip, and Lucy loved every second of it. She would have loved to go and see her little sister during this special time, but with young children in the house, and a husband often at work, she wasn't in the position to be able to leave. Her moment was ruined when she heard an ear piercing shriek coming from none other than her daughter, Haylie. Seconds later, the 15-year old raced down the stairs furiously.

"Mother!" She screamed loudly, making Lucy wince. She frowned slightly at the loss of her happy thought, then shook her head.

"What Hailey?" She asked. Hailey sighed dramatically.

"Anna took my red heart shirt last night when she went to the movies _without_ asking and _then_ she spilled nacho cheese all over it! It's ruined! She didn't even ask, mom, and now my favorite shirt is ruined! I hate her!" She turned to the stairs. "That's right, Anna, I hate you!" She screamed up the stairs. Anna ran down with the same angry look.

"Well I hate you too, freak wad!" She yelled. "You _always_ take my clothes that you fit in with out asking and I never freak out at you!" Hailey scoffed. "Ok well I do every once in awhile, but that's beside the point. It was an accident, OK! You make mistakes too, little miss oh-so-perfect! You…" Lucy cut her daughter off by throwing her arms out to her sides.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cut it out! Now, Hailey, don't say that you hate your sister because you don't and you know that. Anna, you know that it's not ok to take your sister's clothes without asking. You need to pay for a new shirt for her. Got it?"

"Yeah" Anna said sadly.

"Good. Now apologize to each other and go away." She said with a laugh. The girls did so quietly then started up the stairs silently. Lucy laughed quietly and shook her head. As she began down again, she was interrupted from a small voice in the next room.

"Oops!" Cried Maddy. "…Mommy?" She called. Lucy sighed and hurried into the kitchen where her four-year-old sat staring at the milk covered floor. "I spilled my cereal." She said quietly. "Sorry." Lucy shook her head and grabbed a towel.

"Ok, let's get this cleaned up." She said. "Come help me." Her youngest child jumped down from the chair and hurried over to help her mother clean up the mess. The floor was soon dry once again, and Lucy looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow.

"Why were you eating cereal, anyway?" She asked skeptically. Maddy blushed and looked down at the floor, not answering. Lucy sighed. "Madison, you know that you're not aloud to have snacks without asking me. Plus, you know it's almost dinner time, sweetie. You need to put this away." She said. Maddy nodded and started cleaning up. Lucy walked back into the family room and sat down on the sofa. Soon, 5-year-old Elizabeth walked into the room. "Hey Libby girl" Lucy greeted her nicely. "What's up?"

"Can I invite Grace over? I'm bored." She said. Lucy looked around.

"I thought you were playing with your brothers outside." She said, wondering what in earth the twins were up to now. Elizabeth sighed.

"I was, but now they're playing basket ball, and I don't want to play that." She reasoned. Lucy moaned and looked at her daughter.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry, but not today. I'm really tired, it's been a long day. I don't know if I could handle a seventh child in this house right now." Elizabeth nodded sadly and started out of the room. Lucy grabbed the tv remote and switched on the six o'clock news. She watched in until Kevin came home. He walked over and sat down next to her on the couch after greeting his kids. He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled at him.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, scanning her jeans and tee shirt unsurely. Lucy frowned at him, confused.

"Ready to go…where?" She asked. Kevin's eyebrows raised and he put his hands on his head.

"Lucy! It's Natalie's birthday! David is throwing her a party, remember? I reminded you twice today, honey, come on. Go change, we're going to be late!" Lucy moaned and stood slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Kev, I totally forgot!" She said, starting up the stairs to her room. Kevin cupped his hands around his mouth and faced the stairs.

"Haylie, Anna, can you come here for a second?" He called. Soon his oldest daughters came down the stairs and walked over to him, waiting for what he had to say. "Your mom and I are going to Aunt Natalie's party tonight. Will you two be ok holding to fort down?" He asked.

"We'll be fine dad, like usual." Haylie told him. He nodded and the girls started back up the stairs. He always asked them that before he and his wife left, and always received the same answer. He knew that they would be fine, they always were, but he still always liked to ask, just to be on the safe side. Lucy came down the stairs ten minutes later in a pair of dress slacks and a form fitting dark red turtle neck.

"_Now_ I'm ready to go." She told him, laughing softly. Kevin smiled at her. Lucy turned towards the stairs. "Guys, dad and I are leaving! We'll be back at 9:30 or 10:00!" She called. It was only seconds before Maddy came running down the stairs screaming. She ran to her mother and threw her arms around her legs.

"Mommy!" She sobbed, "Don't go please don't go! I don't want you to leave I want you to stay right here!" Lucy sighed impatiently. Lately, Maddy had been doing this every time she went out, and it was getting old fast. "Stay with me and Libby and Collin and Ty and Anna and Haylie! We'll all play a game with you! You won't be bored, really! Just stay, mommy, stay!" She whined between her tears. Lucy peeled her four-year-old off her legs and took her by the hand, leading her into the kitchen. She knelt down and looked her in the eye.

"Honey, I have to go. I…" She was cut off when her daughter shrieked loudly and threw herself onto her mother, having an all out temper tantrum. "Madison Faith Kinkirk, get a hold of yourself, young lady." Lucy scolded. "I don't have time for this. You know that we always come back, you're always fine here. You sisters take good care of you. Now, I'm leaving now. I'll be back later tonight with daddy." She said, standing. Maddy threw herself to the ground and began to kick and scream. Lucy ignored her and walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Haylie, come here please." She called. Haylie came down with a long sigh.

"Is she doing it _again?_" She asked sounding exasperated. Lucy nodded and they started into the kitchen together. Haylie knelt down next to her youngest sister. "Madison, cut it out." She said. "You're not acting like the big girl that I know you are. You're acting like a baby." She said.

"I am not!" The little girl yelled.

"You are too, and you know it. Now come on, get up. Let's go play dollhouse upstairs. Anna will play too." When Maddy didn't budge, Hailey leaned down and took her hand. "Madison!" She said sternly. "I'll help you up, come on." She said. With a frown, Maddy let her sister help her up and she stomped up the stairs, calling for her sister to hurry up. Lucy kissed her oldest daughter on the cheek.

"Thanks sweetie. Good luck. I have my cell and so does dad if you need anything." Haylie nodded and hurried after her sister. With that, Lucy turned to her husband once more. He took her hand and they started out the door.

Upstairs, Haylie stuck her head into she and Anna's room, knocking on the wall to get her 12-year-old sister's attention.

"Maddy had another melt down. She wants to play doll house, and you're playing too." Anna sighed and stood up, then the girls continued down the hall into Elizabeth and Maddy's room where the latter sat angrily on her bed.

"_Finally_!" She moaned. "You took forever I thought you weren't coming, jeese." She hopped of her bed and walked over to the doll house set up in the corner. "Libby wants to play too." She announced. Elizabeth walked over to the doll bin and chose who she wanted to be. Anna and Haylie chose as well and sat down to play with their youngest sister. Within minutes after they started, Maddy's attitude changed, and like usual she soon acted as if nothing had ever happened-a typical four-year-old.

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_A/N:_ Hey guys, I hope you liked this. Please review! Chapter nine will be up sometime soon. 


	9. Beginning The Season

_For disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks._

_A/N: _Thanks for reviewing! You guys are awesome! Here's chapter nine, I hope that you enjoy it! I believe that in the actual show Sarah and Matt are Jewish, right? In this chapter though, as I know nothing about Hanukah, they celebrate Christmas. Haha! Also, don't forget that if you have any ideas for this story, you can e-mail them to me at camdengirlfanfic (at) subject line as "FTM story idea". If you would like to be credited in the case that your idea is used, please say so and leave your first name.

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter Nine: Beginning The Season**

_December 18_

Sarah Camden looked up just in time to see her 13-year-old daughter running to the door with a large smile on her face. Today was Sarah's day off, and since Kate was in middle school she got out at 2:30, rather than 3:00 like her siblings. Today was the last day of school before Winter Break started, and for that Sarah and her kids were grateful. The girl ran through the door and skipped over to the kitchen table where her mother was seated. Sarah looked up at her with confusion, wondering what was up.

"Guess what!" Kate yelled gleefully before Sarah could even ask. Sarah shook her head with out a clue to what could make her daughter so happy.

"What?" She asked, waiting to hear the answer.

"_I_" She paused, pointing to herself for emphasis. "Have a _boyfriend_!" She cried spinning in a circle. "My first boyfriend! How cool is this?" Sarah's eyes widened: so much for the peace she had experienced in a silent home!

"You _what_?" Sarah asked, getting to her feet. "Who is this boy? Do we know him? How old is he? Where did you meet him?" She asked, trying not to be angry yet.

"Well," Kate began dreamily, "His name is Brian…Brian Colson. I met him at Serena's party a few months ago, he's her older brother! Since he picks her up from school every day, I got to see him, and he asked me out!" Sarah felt her jaw drop.

"He _picks her up_ from school?" She asked. "How old is this boy?"

"Uhh…" Kate hesitated. "Well, he's 16, but mom he's so amazing, he's not your average 16 year old boy, I mean he's smart, kind, funny…and _really_ cute." She giggled. "Today when he picked her up he and I were talking like we do every day because he picks her up right by where the bus picks me up, and he asked me if I wanted to go out with him!" Sarah shook her head.

"No no no." She said. "No way, no how." Kate's jaw dropped his time, and her hands flew to her hips.

"_Mother!_ Why not? I'm thirteen years old, for crying out loud! I'm able to make my own decisions!" Sarah laughed.

"Not about this! You're right, Kate you are 13…you're _only _13! You know the rules that your father and I have set about dating! First of all, no one more than two years older than you until you're 18! Secondly, you're not allowed to date until you're 16!"

"_Mom_!" Kate yelled angrily.

"Kate, we'll discuss this with your dad when he gets home. For now, the answer stands." She said. Kate frowned at her mother and stomped up the stairs to her room. She stayed there until her father arrived home 2 hours later. After relaying the situation to her husband, they called her downstairs and into Matt's office. Jacob and Amanda hurried after them, wanting to hear what was going on, but were turned away at the door. "This is a private meeting between your dad, me and your sister." She told them to their dismay. When she shut the door, they all took a seat.

"Kate, your mom told me what's going on." Matt told his 13-year old. "We talked it over for awhile and came to a decision. You know that the rule is that you can't date anyone more than two years older than you until your 18, and this Brian boy is three years older than you. Your 14th birthday is in a few weeks…"

"Two weeks and one day." Kate added quickly.

"_So_," He continued, "After you're 14, you can 'date' him, but not alone. He can come over here where you two can watch a movie or eat dinner or something, under your mom and my supervision. We're only letting you break the 16 rule this once because I've known Mr. Colson, Brian's dad, since we were in high school and I know that Brian's a good kid. _However_ you won't be aloud to go out with him alone, if you're still together, that is, until you're 15. Until then you have to hang out here or at his house when his parents are home. I already talked to his dad about it and he agrees as well."

"Ok." She said. She hopped up and hugged her parents. "Thank you!" She cried and hurried out of the room to call him. Sarah and Matt looked at one another with a sigh.

"Two weeks until doom day." Sarah said with a laugh. "He really is a good kid?"

"I wouldn't let him near my daughter unless he was." Matt assured her. She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder.

"I know." She said, kissing him. "I know." They stood and walked back out into the kitchen. "I'm going to order a pizza for dinner, does that sound ok?" Matt nodded with a smile.

"It sounds perfect. A cheese for the kids, and supreme for us?" He asked: that was what they usually got.

"Ok." Sarah said, walking over to the phone to call the pizza place. Matt got out some paper plates while his wife did so. After the pizza arrived, the family sat down at their kitchen table and dug in. Sarah looked across the table at her kids. "So, Amanda, Jacob, how were your days?" She asked, knowing perfectly well how Kate's had been. Amanda's eyes widened and she smiled.

"Mom! Ok, today, Tommy, this kid in my class, he was so bad. The teacher told him "Tommy, you need to stop talking" and you know what he said?" She paused. "He said "What if I don't want to? Besides, you're the one talking, Mrs. Moser." Can you believe it? Then, she put him in time out on the corner _and_ made him stay after school to call his dad at work and tell him what Tommy said. He's gonna get in _so_ much trouble." Amanda said with a nod of her head. Sarah nodded as well.

"He sure will. If any of you ever talked to a teacher like that…well, let's just say that your dad and I would have it in for you." Sarah said. The 8-year-old shook her head wildly.

"We'd never say that. Right, Jacob? Right Kate?" Her siblings nodded absent mindedly and Matt laughed.

"How was your day, Jake?" He asked his son. Jacob looked at the floor silently for a moment, then spoke in a quiet voice.

"Well…" He started. "It was fine. Went to school, came home, the usual." He trailed off. Amanda put her hands on her hips and frowned at her older brother.

"Are you _forgetting_ something?" She prodded, receiving a glare from the 11-year-old.

"Um, well, we also had our big math test today…" He said.

"Oh?" Matt asked. "How did you do?" Jacob didn't answer for a few moments.

"I got, um, 21." He said quietly.

"21 what?" Sarah asked. Jacob sighed heavily.

"Percent." He answered slowly. Matt's eye brows raised significantly.

"21? Jacob Matthew Camden, that's unacceptable." He scolded. "That's an F. Do you know what that will do to your grade? It can ruin it!" He paused a moment. "I assume that you need our signature on it?" He asked, knowing that when the kids got too low a grade the parents were normally required to sign that they saw it. Jacob nodded. "Ok. Well, no TV tonight. After dinner you're going to come into my office and I'm going to help you with math then make up a quiz for you to practice on. Is that clear?" Matt asked.

"Crystal." Jacob answered sadly. After they were finished eating, Jacob went to go get his failed quiz then reluctantly met his father in his office for what would become a 3 hour study session. In the living room, Sarah Amanda and Kate had fun setting up the family's Christmas tree and decorating it with lights and ornaments. Sarah brought out a few gifts marked as 'from mom and dad' rather than Santa, and put them under the tree. After making this finishing touch, the three girls stepped back in unison and sighed happily.

"It's beautiful." Kate said dreamily. Amanda nodded.

"I love it. _Now_ it feels like Christmas." The youngest Camden added, and as they stood looking at the adorned tree, each began to imagine what _this_ Christmas season had in store for them.

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A/N: Please, please review! I don't even care if it's only a few words! I'm not averaging very many reviews for each chapter. Let's get the numbers up and amaze them all : o) 


	10. Christmas Mayhem

_For Disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks!_

_A/N:_ Hi! Chapter Ten takes place on Christmas Day. Enjoy and please review!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 10: Christmas Mayhem**

It was a tradition in the Camden family for everyone to come over to Annie and Eric's house on Christmas day for dinner, presents, and gifts. As Annie, Eric, Kevin, Lucy, Cecilia, Simon, Lina, Sam, Natalie and David and their children dined outside under the evening sky, the back yard hummed with quiet conversation. Most of the children had finished their meals long ago in anticipation for gift time while the adults ate more leisurely, enjoying this time together. After finishing, and taking some group photos, everyone moved inside to the family room where the massive Camden tree stood, overflowing with gifts. Annie had rearranged the furniture in the room for this occasion, moving all the chairs to form a semi circle around the outskirt of the room, also adding some chairs from the other tables, and some from outside to accommodate everyone.

After the kids helped Annie and Eric pass out all the gifts, they began to open them one by one, going from youngest to oldest, then back again until everyone's gifts were gone. Each person there got something they loved: Sarah got a new dress from Matt to wear when they went out. Kevin got a brand new bullet proof vest from his worried wife, and Ty and Collin got a large set of Lego's each, their favorite pastime. Annie gave Lina a new calendar to put in the front of her classroom for the new year, and David even surprised his wife (and everyone else) with a beautiful diamond necklace in the shape of a small, swirly heart.

As they all began to help clean up the huge amounts of wrapping paper covering the floor, they barely heard the phone ringing in the next room. Annie excused herself to go answer it while also going for more trash bags. When she ran back into the room a few minutes later, however, she carried no garbage bags. Her eyes were wide, and no one could tell if she was happy or fearful. Everyone stopped cleaning and looked at her, waiting to hear what could have happened. Anna breathed deeply, obviously trying to calm down before sharing the information she new. After a few minutes of it not working, she decided to abandon the cause and opened her mouth.

"Ruthie's in labor!" She shrieked. "She's not due until January 23! She's a month early! Oh my goodness, oh my…" She ranted. Eric walked over and took his wife's arm, leading her to sit down. Everyone sat down where they were silently waiting for more information.

"Is she ok? When did the labor start?" Sarah asked worriedly. "I know she was really freaking out about the baby coming, and this is so early I bet they didn't even have anything ready! Did they have any idea that this was going to happen?" Annie shook her head.

"She's terrified. Her water broke right in the middle of opening presents with Peter in their apartment an hour ago. She hasn't seen the doctor for a month, so they had no idea! She had a doctor appointment in two days, but I guess she won't be needing that!" Annie tried to make a joke. "Peter took her to the hospital and they just got checked in since it took them awhile to pack up their things." She sighed. "Well guys, my new grandson, and your new nephew or cousin for the kids is on the way!" Everyone clapped happily. 4-year-old Maddy turned to her mother with a frown.

"Mommy?" She asked, pulling on Lucy's sleeve to get her attention. "Why is Aunt Ruthie in labor?" Lucy laughed quietly and stroked her daughter's hair.

"Well, Aunt Ruthie's in labor because she's going to have her baby. Labor is what happens before the baby is born." She explained. Maddy nodded then looked back up at Lucy.

"Did you have labor for me before I was born?" She asked. Lucy nodded. "And Haylie?" She nodded again. "Anna? Ty? Collin? Libby?" Lucy continued to nod through the list of names. Maddy's eyes widened. "That's a lot." She said and Lucy laughed. "When will the baby be born?"

"It depends. Sometimes the baby is born after only a few hours of labor, and sometimes it takes a long, long time, up to a day even! Most of the time, it takes the longest when it is a lady's first baby, so it might be awhile before Jackson is here." She said. Maddy thought about it for a moment, then smiled.

"Ok." She said, satisfied with the answer. Kevin looked at Lucy and laughed, kissing her on the cheek.

"Do you remember when Haylie was born? She was three weeks early…we didn't even have the nursery ready yet!"

"Oh trust me, _I remember_." She told him with a laugh. "That was one of the scariest times of my entire life. I didn't even know I was in labor at first, remember? Man, I feel for poor Ruthie and Peter! Sarah told us how Ruthie was so scared about labor and things like that. She must be freaking out!" She smiled sadly, thinking of her labor and delivery with her first born.

"She'll be Ok. You were." He said. "I'm so happy for them. They're finally starting their own family! Sure they're scared right now, but I'm sure they're ecstatic." Lucy nodded. Suddenly from the silence, Matt spoke up.

"I hope that Jackson and Ruthie are ok." He said.

"Of course they'll be ok!" Lina said. "The baby's only a month early. It's not dangerous unless it's like two or three months premature, right?" Matt shook his head.

"No, actually not." He announced, and everyone was suddenly silent waiting to hear more. "Unless a baby is born at a time very near it's due date, there can be tons of complications. And Jackson is a full month early…that's huge. I've delivered babies at 3 or 4 weeks early and they're smaller, and some have trouble breathing, or had to be in intensive care because their skin was still too thin. Some have even…" He paused. "Well, died. Ruthie being in labor this early is really dangerous." The stunned silence that followed his statement was only broken when Annie sobbed.

"The baby has to be ok!" She cried. "It took them so long to get pregnant…if the baby didn't make it…" She trailed off and began to cry again, as did Sarah and Lucy, and many of the younger children who weren't used to such drama taking place. After receiving one more call from Peter saying that things were going slowly, so they wouldn't know much for awhile, everyone left the Camden house reluctantly after making Annie promise to call if she had any information.

That night, Natalie walked from the kitchen of she and her husband's one story home into the bedroom they shared. David was lying on their bed already as she climbed in next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He sat down the book he was reading and put his arms around her, kissing the top of her head softly. She looked up and him and kissed him back.

"I can't believe that we've been married for an entire year." She told him, thinking back to their one year anniversary last month. "It's been a great year." He smiled at her.

"It has." He agreed. "I couldn't have spent it with a more amazing woman." He said, kissing her once again. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said. She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "I wonder how Ruthie's doing."

"Yeah, me too." David replied. "It must be scary, having this all happen so early, and knowing that the baby might not even be Ok…" He grew quiet. "I guess all we can do at this point is say a little prayer for Ruthie, Peter and the baby." Natalie nodded.

"When are we having a baby?" She asked. "Are we still going to wait a few years? Do we want them at all? How many?" Seeing her husband's alarmed look, she continued. "I'm not saying I want one now, don't worry, I'm just wondering." She said with a laugh. David smiled.

"I know. I was thinking about that too. We both love our jobs and don't feel like we want to stop them for awhile to start a family, but I also know that we don't want to wait too long. It's important to have kids while we're still young. We want to see them grow up, and see their kids grow up. Maybe even see great grand kids!" He smiled as did she. "And how many? I don't know if that's something that we can really know right now. I mean, theoretically we've both said that we would like 3 or 4 some day, but I think it's going to depend. We might have one and find out that we're totally happy having one child. We also might have one and love parenting and all of that so much that we end up with 12 kids!" Natalie's eyes widened and she laughed along with him. "We'll just see as we go, I guess." He looked over at her seriously. "You're 26 now, and I'm 28. We shouldn't wait _too_ much longer, but if you still want to wait a few years, we'd still be fine." He said. She looked up at him.

"David?" She asked. He looked at her intently. "I want a baby." She told him. He smiled at her.

"I do too." He said. "Thinking about all this has made me realize that this is the time. We both have great jobs, and are making enough money to support a family. I'm making enough myself to keep us going pretty nicely while you're on maternity leave and after the baby's born and you take time off. You could even take a few years off if you wanted to." He said with a smile, glad that his salary could enable them to do that. She smiled too.

"So we're trying?" She asked quietly. David nodded.

"We're trying." He confirmed and they kissed.

"Oh my gosh! We're trying!" She smiled widely and wrapped her arms around her husband excitedly, pecking him on the lips again and again. "This is so awesome!" He smiled too, unable to resist her contagious smile.

"It's too bad you're not very excited though" He joked. She stopped smiling and laid down.

"Yeah I know." She replied, then started laughing again. She looked at him with a genuine smile and kissed him. "This is the best Christmas present I could ever imagine." She told him, and he smiled back at her knowing that it was his as well.

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_A/N:_ A lot happened in this chapter! I won't keep you all hanging too long, don't worry. Review, review, review! 


	11. Waiting

_For Disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks!_

_A/N:_ I'll end the suspense now! Haha! It was even getting to me, and I _know_ what happens! Well kids, enjoy!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 11: Waiting**

Lucy felt like her heart stopped when the phone rang in her home the next day, December 26th, at 3 pm. She grabbed it, and answered quickly.

"Hi Luce, it's mom." Annie greeted. Lucy felt her breath catch in her throat. Anna looked up from where she was at the table reading, setting down her book and waiting for any information. Elizabeth and Maddy looked at their sister from where they were coloring at the other side of the table in confusion of why she stopped reading, but then ignored it and went back to what they were doing.

"Hi." Lucy answered. "So? Anything?" She asked in anticipation.

"Not yet. Ruthie's thoroughly tired at this point. She's been in labor for 22 hours. Her water broke at 5:14 yesterday." Lucy sighed and sat down, exhausted at the pure thought of a labor that long.

"How's she holding up?" Lucy asked. "When did Peter call you? When do they expect the baby?"

"Peter called about a half hour ago. I called Sarah right after I got off the phone with him, and you were next in line" She informed her daughter. "Ruthie's not feeling that great as you can imagine. The contractions are getting pretty bad. They planned on doing it without pain medication but she's thinking of reconsidering." They laughed. "Well, it's certainly slow but they think that they're getting there. She's at 8 centimeters. The baby should arrive sometime later tonight."

"Then what?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Well…Then they examine the baby and see if he's ok."

"Yeah…"Lucy trailed off for a moment. "Ok, well let me know if you hear anything else, ok?" Annie agreed and they hung up. Anna looked at her mom.

"Well? Do I have a new cousin yet? How's Aunt Ruthie?" She asked. Lucy shook her head.

"No baby yet. Aunt Ruthie's tired of labor, and frankly kind of traumatized after all this, but she'll be ok. They expect the baby later on tonight." She said. Maddy looked up from her coloring book.

"Is it still labor?" She asked her mother. Lucy laughed.

"Yes honey, it's still labor." She answered. Maddy's eyes widened as she went back to her picture, obviously surprised at how long it had been. Suddenly, Lucy heard yelling coming from the family room. She walked out just in time to see Ty and Collin running through the room kicking a soccer ball.

"Couch's the goal!" Ty yelled and took off to score a point. Lucy held up her hands and yelled.

"Hey! You guys know that there's absolutely no soccer in the house. Come on you two, you're almost 9 years old, you know that." The boys looked at the floor. Libby and Maddy rushed in to see what was going on. When they saw that they're brothers were playing soccer, their eyes lit up.

"Can we play?" Libby asked excitedly, and her brothers agreed. They looked to Lucy to choose teams. She thought for a moment, then pointed to each of them.

"Ty and Libby versus Collin and Maddy. Now go play _outside_." She instructed, and the four children took off. Knowing that she was too stressed to make a good meal, Lucy decided to order pizza. After it arrived, she and her husband and children sat down to eat. The table was quiet as everyone devoured the meal. After a little while, Kevin looked at his wife.

"So, have you heard anything?" He asked slowly. Lucy looked concerned.

"No…have you." Kevin looked down for a moment.

"Yeah." He saw Lucy jump. "Luce, it's not going well." He told her. "Peter called me about 15 minutes ago, right before I left work. The baby's rate has been getting faster and faster for about the last half hour. Unless it stops very soon, they are going to do an emergency C-section. Ruthie's been in labor for 28 hours. She hasn't slept at all. She hasn't had an epidural." Lucy's jaw dropped. "He said he would call again as soon as he could to keep us posted." Lucy felt tears filling her eyes. Kevin stood up and walked over to her, taking her hand to have her stand up, then put his arms around her. She put her head down on his shoulder and began to cry. Maddy stood and ran over to her mother, hugging her legs. "Mommy's ok." Kevin assured his daughter. "She's just worried about Aunt Ruthie." He turned to Haylie. "Mom and I will be right back. Keep an eye on the kids." He instructed. She nodded and he led Lucy out of the room and into their bathroom where he gave her a tissue. She looked at him with a frown.

"Kev, what if Jackson isn't ok?" She asked. "What will we tell the kids? What do we do to comfort Ruthie? What…" Kevin stopped her.

"We'll figure that out if it comes to that. OK? It's going to be Ok, no matter what. Even if Jackson doesn't make it, we'll get through it. Ruthie and Peter will get through it, and life will go on." Lucy nodded.

"You're right." She admitted. "Thanks." She kissed his cheek and took his hand. "Let's go back out." They walked back out to sit down and finished their dinner. Later that evening, after the kids were all tucked in, Kevin and Lucy sat in their bed quietly, waiting nervously to hear from Peter and Ruthie about their new nephew. Lucy gasped nervously when the phone on her night stand rang, and she recognized a Texas area code. She made eye contact with her husband briefly, then picked up the phone.

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_A/N:_ Muah ha ha ha! I love cliffys! Sorry this is short. Review and I'll post chapter 12 soon. The more reviews, the quicker the arrival of the chapter! 


	12. Baby News

_See chapter one for disclaimer. Thanks! I don't own Tweety (duh)._

_A/N:_ Wow! Thanks for reviewing! I received the most reviews on chapter 11 than I have on any other. Keep it up! You guys are awesome!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 12: Baby News**

In Houston Texas, Peter hung up the phone after calling the rest of his family. He had called Ruthie's family a few hours prior, but then had been called to be with his wife for awhile. He put his hands in his pockets and walked slowly down the halls of the hospital until he reached his wife's room. He walked over and kissed her forehead tenderly and she smiled up at him. He heard footsteps and looked up to see the nurse walking over, carrying a small blue bundle.

"Mr. and Mrs. Petrowski?" She asked, and they looked at her expectantly. "His check up is all finished. Your baby is absolutely fine. This is a miracle. The chances that he would have nothing at all wrong with him is one in 3400." She handed the baby to his father and Peter looked down happily at his new son. "What's his name? Have you two decided on one yet?" Ruthie nodded.

"His name is Jackson. Jackson Peter Petrowski." She said happily.

"That's a beautiful name" The nurse complimented. "I'll leave you three alone for awhile. Just push that red button if you need anything at all." She said and started out of the room. Ruthie looked up at Peter with tears in her eyes.

"He's ok." She said softly and Peter nodded. "We're parents now." She was silent for a long while as her husband handed her their baby. She looked down into his bright blue eyes and slowly, he drifted off to sleep. She touched his tiny fingers, and stroked the small amount of hair that he had on his head. The was a mother. She had made it through pregnancy. With this thought, she smiled to herself.

_The next morning back in Glen Oak…_

Cecilia Camden smiled at her husband as he walked down the stairs, the last to wake up on that Saturday morning. He walked over and kissed his wife, bidding her good morning. After brewing a cup of coffee for himself and Cecilia, the couple sat down at the kitchen table.

"Where are the kids?" Simon asked curiously. Cecilia looked around her and took a sip of her drink.

"Ben and Noah are up in their rooms, and last time I checked, Miss Grace was watching television." Confirming their suspicions, their daughter laughed loudly in the family room and her parents smiled. Simon took another sip and looked at his wife with a sigh.

"How are…well, any news about Ruthie?" He asked worriedly. He had gone to bed early the night before and hadn't had a change to hear the news.

"Yeah, Peter called _late_ last night. They had to do an emergency c-section on Ruthie to get the baby out because of some complications." She explained. "He had his checkup and everything, and luckily he was totally ok. The doctors say it's a miracle. Ruthie and Jackson will be out of the hospital in a few days. He says that she's already asking when they can come down here to visit and let everyone meet their new baby." They both laughed and Simon sighed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank god they're both ok. I was getting so worried. I mean, Ruthie's my baby sister. If something had happened…" He trailed off.

"But it didn't." Cecilia finished. "Everything's ok." She smiled. "You can call if you want. Peter's going to have his cell on he says." Simon nodded and stood up, starting for their bedroom.

"I think I'll call, that's a good idea. I want to talk to them myself." He walked back to kiss his wife, then left the room. Seeing her cue, Grace walked into the room and sat down at the table. When Cecilia looked up at her, the 5-year-old took a deep breath and patted the table.

"Come sit. We gotta talk." She announced. Cecilia walked over and sat down. "Mommy," Grace began, "Aunt Ruthie just had a baby, and I heard you tell daddy that Aunt Natalie and Uncle Davey are trying to get a baby, so it's baby time." Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "You're really late. Ben is 11! He was 2 when Noah came here, and then Noah was 4 when I came out, and now I'm 5!" She stood and walked over to her mother, putting her hand on her mother's stomach. "When's my new sister gonna come out?" she cried. "She's been in there for a long time! It's her turn to get born!" Cecilia's eyes widened and she laughed.

"Honey, sit down." She instructed. "There's no baby in my tummy, sweetie." Grace opened her mouth to object, but Cecilia continued before she could. "Babies only get in the mommy's tummy when the mommy and daddy put it there. Daddy and I only want three children and we have three now: Benny, Noah and you, so daddy and I didn't put a baby in." She explained. Grace waited a moment.

"Well…how do you put a baby in?" she asked. Cecilia's eyes widened again and she stuttered.

"We'll talk about that another day." She quickly changed the subject. "So are you excited to meet your new cousin when ever he comes?" She asked.

"Yep. I like babies. Aunt Ruthie needs to talk some sense into you." She deducted, standing and pushing her chair in. "Until then, I'm going to watch cartoons." She walked out of the room. Cecilia laughed to herself and shook her head. _She's five and she already wants to know how the baby gets there?_ She thought to herself. _What's she going to be asking me at thirteen?_ A shiver went down her spine at the thought and she stood again to clean up the breakfast dishes. She heard the phone begin to ring, but before she could get to it, she heard Simon in the next room. Five minutes later, he walked out to the kitchen.

"That was Sarah. She and Lucy are going to go to lunch and you're invited. I told them that you could go. I'll watch the kids, don't worry about it. It's the weekend. Go have some fun. They'll be here to pick you up in 30 minutes. Go get dressed, and I'll finish these dishes." He instructed, looking at her tweety bird pajamas that he had given to her years before. Cecilia nodded and smiled, excited with the idea of getting out of the house. She thanked her husband and hurried to her room to change. The doorbell rang as soon as she put down her mascara brush which made her makeup complete. She grabbed her purse, kissed her husband and children goodbye, and hurried out to Sarah's car for an afternoon of fun catching up with her family.

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_A/N_: Please review! 


	13. Catching Up

_See chapter one for disclaimer. Thanks! _

_A/N:_ thanks for the reviews! I'm glad that you're all enjoying this story so much! I hope that you like this next chappy, and of course, please review! There will be one more chapter before this story is _over!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 13: Catching Up**

_Two months later, March 2_

Annie Camden hurried around her house trying to keep herself busy. Eric had left for the airport to pick up Ruthie Peter and the baby nearly 45 minutes ago. She knew they would be there any second, and was so antsy to meet her grandson that she could hardly stand it. Ruthie had been off on her maternity leave, but since Peter was still teaching, they hadn't been able to come out yet. At first he had insisted that they not come until school got out in June, but Annie and the rest of the family knew they had to see the baby before he was 6 months old. Peter had finally given in last week and taken this week off so that they could visit their large family in California. They had arranged it so that Ruthie and Peter would arrive at around 5 pm, and the rest of the family would be coming over at 5:30 for dinner, giving Annie and Eric time to catch up with their daughter and have their grandson all to themselves.

Annie dusted the dining room table for the eighth time that day. As she put away the dusting rag, she heard the garage door going up and felt her adrenalin kick in. They were here. She ran her fingers quickly through her hair, wondering why she hadn't taken all this time to straighten herself up. Before long, the door opened and she couldn't help but smile. Eric came through first, carrying two black suitcases. Then, she caught sight of her daughter's brown wavy hair. As soon as Ruthie saw her mother, she ran over and embraced her.

"Mom!" She cried. "Oh my gosh, it's so great to see you. I've been wanting to come down her for so long!" She hugged her again. Peter laughed in the back ground and Annie looked up to see him too. She greeted him warmly. Ruthie smiled and pointed over to the baby carrier sitting near the door, a blue blanket tossed expertly over it. "Mom…" she took her mother's hand and lead her to it. "This is Jackson." She lifted the blue blanket carefully to reveal a tiny baby, sleeping soundly in his animal print one-zie. Annie gasped and Eric smiled down at her.

"He's adorable!" Annie whispered. Ruthie lifted the blanket all the way off and began to unbuckle him. "You don't have to wake him, I'll see him when he's up." She said. Ruthie shook her head and continued.

"It's ok, it's time for him to wake up any way. He's been asleep since 10 minutes after our plane took off." He began to stir and let out a loud cry as his mother lifted him out of his warm bed. Ruthie patted his back softly to calm him. "shhh" She cooed. "It's ok, honey." She turned to her mother after he stopped crying. "Wanna hold him?"

"Do you have to ask?" Annie asked with a laugh. She reached over and carefully lifted the tiny baby up and placed him against her body. He looked up at her with sleepy brown eyes, with matched his tuft of dark hair. Annie smiled and kissed his forehead. "Hi Jackson, I'm grandma." She introduced herself. "He's precious." She told Ruthie and her daughter smiled. They walked over into the family room where they all sat down and began to chat.

"How are you two doing, being new parents and all?" Eric asked. Ruthie and Peter looked at each other and laughed before answering.

"Well…" Ruthie began, "It's been…interesting. That's the word. I don't think we ever imagined that it could be this hard, but so fun at the same time. Peter's a light sleeper, so he wakes up every time the baby cries during the night, and then has to still go to work every morning. I'm always exhausted, and never, ever get a nap. He seems to know when I'm just dozing off, because that's when he let's out the real screeches." They all laughed and Annie nodded, remembering how her children did the same. "But it's so amazing. I feel like I have this whole new purpose in life. I mean, who knew you could love a little pink bald guy so much?" She smiled. "He's the joy in my life, along with his daddy of course." She pecked her husband on the cheek quickly, then continued. "Peter is already asking when we want to have another, which is mind boggling, but…" Peter cut her off with a laugh.

"I don't mean I want another baby this very second. I just know that if we want more kids, we need to time it out to know how their age differences will be and all. I don't mean I want her to be pregnant again now or anything. We're going to wait until he's _at least_ 2. Plus, we had so much trouble having him, who says we're going be able to have any more?" With that, Jackson let out a scream and began to cry loudly. Ruthie stood and took him from her mother.

"I'm sure he's hungry, he hasn't eaten since before we left. I'm going to go feed him." She said. Annie nodded and stood as well.

"We're keeping you waiting, I know you have a lot to do. We have the garage apartment all made up for you, so honey, why don't you feed him up there. I'll have your dad bring up your bags in a half hour or so."

"Oh that's ok," Peter chimed in. "I can get them. Thanks so much for setting up the apartment for us again. That'll definitely be easier on you guys than having a new born in here. Plus, we appreciate all the space."

"Any time." Annie and Eric said in unison. The new family got their bags and walked out the door, starting for the garage apartment. Annie smiled at her husband and he wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him. "Grandchild number 17's the charm, huh?" She asked and Eric laughed.

"Wow. 17. It seems like just yesterday that Haylie was born…our first grandchild. It was so crazy." They were silent for a few minutes while they remembered. Their moment was runined when the door bell rang. Annie hurried to open it and saw Sarah, Matt, Kate, Jacob and Amanda standing there when she did.

"Hi mom." Matt greeted and she hugged them all as they entered the home. As soon as Sarah got in, she looked around expectantly.

"Well? Where are they? I can't wait another second to see Ruthie!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry but you're going to have to." Eric told her. "She's feeding Jackson up in the garage apartment. They'll be down as soon as she finishes. They left about 5 minutes ago."

"Ah man!" Sarah said with a laugh. "I guess I can wait, but let's hope that baby eats fast. I might go crazy!" They all smiled. Right as Annie was shutting the door, she saw the Kinkirk family pull up outside. Moments later, Maddy ran up and jumped up for Annie to pick her up.

"Grandma!" She cried happily. "I haven't seen you in like a month!" She exclaimed. Annie laughed and spun her granddaughter around.

"I know! I've missed you all! Well hello there Ty and Collin!" She greeted the twins as they approached the door. They said hello back and hurried inside. Soon, Kevin, Lucy, Haylie, Anna and Elizabeth all walked up together. "It's the whole Kinkirk clan!" Annie cried with a laugh. "All eight of you! Come in, come in!" After Cecilia and Simon, along with Ben, Noah and Grace arrived, the adults of the three families sat down to chat in the family room while the kids took off to play outside, only 15-year-old Haylie sticking around. Lina and Sam were the next to arrive and joined the circle of adults while Molly, Michael, Abby and Aiden hurried out to join there cousins. After a few more minutes, Sarah shrieked and jumped up.

"Ruthie!" Everyone looked up to see Ruthie walking in from the door in the kitchen. Ruthie screamed too and the women embraced for what seemed like forever. Then, Sarah took Ruthie's shoulders and pushed her back, looking her over. "Wow! Look at you, you look amazing!" She cried. "Man, you've got almost all that baby weight off already! I still have some of mine from _all_ of my kids!" They laughed and Ruthie disagreed. "So…where is he?" She asked. Ruthie smiled.

"He's with his daddy getting his diaper changed, they'll be down in a second." She said as she was ushered over to the crowd. A few moments later, Peter entered carrying Jackson. When he arrived at the sofas, everyone crowded around to see the tiny baby. The timer in the kitchen dinged and Annie stood.

"Dinner's ready!" She said and everyone stood.

"Hey, where are Natalie and David?" Eric asked. "They said that they would be here early…at 5:15. It's 6:00." Annie frowned.

"Man, I totally forgot. They must be running late. That's so unlike them!"

"Should we wait to eat?" Eric asked.

"Nah, let's eat. They wouldn't want us to hold up dinner just for them." Eric agreed and everyone walked outside into the backyard where all the tables were set up, as usual. Annie carried out the baby carrier for Jackson and sat it next to Ruthie's chair. The kids all took their seats at the children's tables and Annie and Eric carried out the food. Everyone dug in hungrily. Jackson, who had been placed in his carrier, was soon sound asleep and was adored by everyone.

Seeing that they were out of rolls, Annie stood and walked inside to get more. As she was doing so, she heard the front door open and saw Natalie and David entering. David had his arm around his wife, and as Annie approached them to say hello, Natalie looked up and Annie saw her tear stained face. She hurried over, concerned.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" Annie asked, putting her arms around the couple. Natalie's lower lip quivered.

"Yesterday, Natalie took a home pregnancy test…and it was positive." He said.

"What's wrong then? This is awesome! You guys have been trying for this!" Annie cried.

"Mom…let me finish." David instructed. "We went to the doctor today to get in confirmed, and it turns out that the test was wrong…she's not pregnant. That's why we're so late, I'm sorry." He said. Annie hugged them again.

"Don't apologize." She said quietly. "I'm so sorry you two…I can't imagine the let down that you're feeling. Natalie began to cry again and Annie pulled away so that David could comfort his wife. "You two don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"We really want to meet Jackson, but tonight…seeing a baby would be too hard. We'll be sure to come by some time this week though to see him before they leave." Annie agreed and told them good bye. She grabbed the rolls she had come in for and when she got back outside, relayed the sad news to the crowd. Ruthie bit her lower lip and looked down at her own baby. She knew all too well what it was like to want a baby and have it not happen. She stroked his face lightly, and he didn't wake. 4-year old Maddy Kinkirk walked over and peeked into the carrier at her baby cousin.

"A baby!" She whispered and Ruthie laughed.

"Yeah, this is baby Jackson. He's your cousin." She explained. Maddy looked at the baby for a few minutes, examining every inch of him.

"How old it Jackson?" She asked. "I'm four. That means I got born four years ago."

"That's right." Ruthie told her with a smile. "Jackson is 2 months old, which means that he was born 2 months ago. He was born on December 26th, the day after Christmas, at 11:51 at night!"

"That's late." Maddy commented thoughtfully. Ruthie laughed and nodded.

"Yes. Very late." Lucy looked over and saw her daughter standing by Ruthie and the baby.

"Madison," Lucy called, and the little girl looked up at her. "Go eat your dinner and let the baby sleep and Aunt Ruthie eat." She instructed. Maddy sighed and did so reluctantly. Ruthie laughed quietly and pulled the blanket over the carrier now that there was no one looking at her son. Peter reached over and squeezed her hand and she smiled at him. They were finally here.

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_A/N:_ Please review! The more reviews I get, the quicker that I will post the FINAL chapter! 


	14. Making the Decision

_For Disclaimer, please see chapter one. Thanks!_

_A/N:_ Thanks for reviewing! Here's the final chapter!

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**For The Moment**

**Chapter 14: Making the Decision**

_Another two months later- May 13_

Sarah Camden let out a sigh of relief as she laid down on the sofa and shut her eyes. She hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before. Matt had formed a new habit of snoring, and try as she might, she had been unable to sleep through it for a few weeks now. Being a mother of three during the day and an insomniac during the night wasn't working for her. She opened her eyes right as her youngest child plopped down next to her and turned on cartoons. She moaned.

"Amanda…" She complained quietly. Amanda looked at her mother and raised her eyebrow.

"What's wrong with _you_?" Asked the 8-year-old quizzically. "You're acting weird lately, mom."

"I know." Sarah said after a moment. "Daddys been snoring at night so I haven't been sleeping well. And I'm so busy during the day with you and Kate and Jacob that I've just been, well, exhausted lately.

"So go take a nap." She said without looking up. Sarah sighed and rolled her eyes, slowly rising.

"_Well_, that's what I _was_ doing before someone decided to watch cartoons." She said trying to fake a laugh. "I'll be in my room. Only wake me if there's fire or a large amount of blood." She instructed, stumbling down the hall to she and Matt's bedroom. After lying down for only a few minutes, she was sound asleep.

Outside the front door of the Camden home, 14-year-old Kate kissed her boyfriend of five months. The two teens didn't even hear Matt when he pulled up, and their make out session continued until Matt walked up, and shouted, surprised.

"Kate!" He cried. She leapt back from her boyfriend and he quickly took his hands off her back. "Get inside." He instructed.

"Bye." She whispered to Brian, and was quickly ushered inside by her fuming father. As soon as they were inside the door, he grabbed her wrist firmly and led her into her room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Katelynn Rosina Camden!" He shouted. "What in the world do you think that you were doing?" He asked. She took a step back.

"Well, dad, I was kissing my _boyfriend_." She answered with a sarcastic tone. "We've been together for five months dad, do you think we're not gonna kiss? You _proposed_ on your first date with mom, so don't even get started yelling at _me._" Matt tried not to let his jaw visibly drop as he scrambled to find words to answer her with.

"We were adults!" He reasoned. "Besides, what your mom and I did was no correlation with what you're aloud to do. You know the rule: you're not to be alone together outside of school! You have to have parental supervision! And why, you ask, did we make that rule? So that you wouldn't get in compromising situations like what I just walked up to!"

"Oh come on dad, we were _only_ kissing. We're in love, for crying out loud!" She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Kate, let me tell you, that may be what you were thinking about, but Brian had other things on his mind." Kate's jaw dropped.

"Brian's not like that dad. He's not like _you_ were!" She screamed.

"_All_ teen boys are like that, Kate, I hate to break it to you. So listen up. You're not to see Brian for the next 2 months. Got it? At school and that's it. If your mother or I ever find out that you were together somewhere else, the no-dating until you're 16 rule will come back into play _real_ fast. Got it?" He asked her. She glared at him without answering. He took a step towards her. "I said, got it?"

"Got it." She said angrily.

"Good." Matt said and turned to leave her room. As he opened the door he met his wife standing right outside. He smiled and kissed her lightly.

"Hi." He said. "Don't worry, I have that covered." She nodded. He took a good look at her and frowned. "You ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping well, and you and Kate going at it didn't really help my nap…" She trailed off. "It's ok though, I need to make dinner now anyway." She started for the kitchen but Matt stopped her.

"I'm so sorry we woke you up. I know how exhausted you've been" He apologized. "Now go back to bed. I'll take care of dinner. How does macaroni and cheese sound?"

"It sounds wonderful." She told him with a smile. "Thank you." She said, leaning in for a second and third kiss. "I love you." She told him, and started back for their bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Matt greeted his younger daughter and son who had recently joined Amanda for cartoons. He grabbed a box of macaroni and cheese out of the pantry and started boiling water on the stove. He made this almost every time that he was making dinner, and tonight would be no exception. The kids wouldn't mind though and neither did he…whatever he could do to help his wife feel well, he would do.

_Meanwhile, 20 miles away at Glen Oak Health Clinic_

Natalie tried hard to continue to pay attention to the doctor, but wasn't succeeding very well. Her whole body felt numb. Out of her peripheral vision she saw David glance over at her, and moments later he put his hand over hers, trying to offer her some support.

"You have three main choices of where you can go from here." She heard the doctor say, sounding a million miles off. "There's artificial insemination, having a surrogate, or adoption. In your case, artificial insemination would probably not be your best option…" She felt her heart sinking quickly. An 'inhospitable environment', that's what they had called it. She couldn't carry a child. How could this have happened to her? This is the kind of thing that happened to other people…not to she and her husband. "You two can think it over, and if you decide on surrogacy, let me know and we can start to figure it all out." The doctor reached out to shake Natalie and David's hands, then the couple stood and left. Natalie felt weak to her knees as David led her out of the office and to their car. He helped her into her seat and then got into the driver's side.

They rode in silence to their home. As soon as they walked into their home, Natalie looked at her husband and burst into tears. He sighed sadly and put his arms around her, trying to calm her. He ran his fingers through her hair soothingly and finally, she stopped, looking up at her husband with puffy red eyes.

"I'm so sorry." She told him. "I ruined this for us. Dave I'm so sorry!" She began to cry again and David frowned, taking her shoulders and making her look at him.

"Nat, this isn't your fault. You didn't choose this. This is just how it turned out. Honey, we're going to have a baby one way or another. I would rather adopt or have a surrogate to have a baby with you then have had a baby normally with another woman." She smiled weakly up at him and he led her over to the sofa where they sat down. "We need to talk about this though. What do we want to do? Should we wait awhile after all? Surrogacy? Adoption?" He trailed off and Natalie spoke up.

"I don't want to wait any more. Not unless you do. Ever since we started trying, I've been so excited to welcome a baby into our home. With surrogacy…I don't know. I mean, I know some one would do it for us, we have amazing friends and family who would…but I don't feel right doing that. I'm just not comfortable asking someone to have our _baby_ for us!" She sighed and David nodded.

"I feel the same way." He agreed. "So that leaves us with adoption…I like that option…a lot. But if you don't we don't have to. We can figure something out."

"No I like adoption too. There are so many women out there who are struggling with unplanned pregnancies, and those babies deserve amazing homes. We can provide a home. I feel good about this." She truly smiled for the first time since they had been given the news.

"I do too. So we're going to adopt." Natalie smiled and nodded. David leaned over and kissed her. "Looks like we better find an agency then." He stood and walked over to his computer and she followed him. And there in their small living room they began the search in beginning their very own family.

The End

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_A/N_: That's it, folks! I hoped you all enjoyed 'For The Moment'! Please, please review! I'm open to writing a sequel if that's what you guys want, or I can do a whole new story. Let me know in your review what you would prefer! If I'm not doing a sequel, an epilogue will be up in a few days. If I _will_ be doing a sequel, I'll write that in the summary of this story, so keep a look out! Thanks for reading! -Camdengirl4ever 


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